19

Jul 2008

Introducing Marko...

I thought it would be interesting to get a realistic view of the pro life from someone who is very much like us but managed to get to that next level. Marko is a former Navy SEAL and a former pro Ironman triathlete.

Q: Why did you become a Navy Seal?

When I was in high school, I used to use the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps recruits to get free lunches but I never signed up until after my first year of junior college. My uncle had been in the Navy and talked about UDT and I had heard it was the toughest thing in the world. After doing a few triathlons and being pretty gung ho, I thought I would talk to a Navy Recruiter a little more seriously. In an attempt to scare me, he told me "Those guys are crazy! They jump out of airplanes, get shot out of torpedo tubes, and carry telephone poles on their backs!” My response was something along the lines of "Yeah, that’s for me!” At the time, I wanted a challenge, and I also wanted a way out of what was becoming a boring life living at home with my grandparents.

19

Jul 2008

Felog - Version III

Felog.net is an online triathlon training log. Essentially, it is my Excel spreadsheets gone wild. It initially started out as a way for me to track my fitness level and exercise routines but it has since evolved into what you see here today. There are two key aspects to the application:

1. The Logging function - you are able to enter Event Type, Date, Time, Average Cadence, Average Heart Rate, Average Power, Perceived Exertion, and Notes. It will auto-calculate the Pace and Speed for you. You can have each entry listed for public viewing or you can select to have it Private.

19

Jul 2008

The Mind Killer

We spend a lot of time focusing on the three disciplines but there are other aspects of triathlon that also require attention. As I was looking at my schedule this week, I was not really concerned about any of the workouts except for what was scheduled for today. It consisted of a three hour ride with climbing followed by a three hour run. Actually it was three hours or 20 miles whichever comes first. Having missed my two hour run a couple of weeks ago due to being sick, I knew three hours was going to try to have its way with me. It's this kind of negativity that will try to take hold of you in training and in racing. There comes a point when your body is hurting and you're trying to fight it off but it's fighting back. In marathons, they call it hitting the wall. It's the point where you feel like every step is getting slower, every mile is getting longer, and every muscle in your body is screaming for you to stop. What you have to do is fight back. You have to climb over, dig under, or punch through that wall.

19

Jul 2008

Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Eater

For the purpose of this entry, cheating is defined as: "to violate rules dishonestly". So what are the rules? For starters, there are the USAT rules and the biggest one that we hear about is "drafting". The "drafting zone" according to the USAT Rule Book: "The term "drafting zone" shall refer to a rectangular area seven (7) meters long and two (2) meters wide surrounding each bicycle. The longer sides of the zone begin at the leading edge of the front wheel and run backward parallel to the bicycle; the front wheel divides the short side of the zone into two equal parts. With respect to a moving motor vehicle, the "drafting zone" is a rectangular area extending 15 meters to each side of the vehicle and 30 meters behind the vehicle." And then there are the rules specific to the race itself. For example, at Ironman California there was an area where passing was not allowed and the speed limit was set at no more the 25MPH.

31

Mar 2008

Ironman California 70.3

After three months of base training, I finally get to race but there was one problem. As I was about to enter my taper week, I came down with a nasty flu. And after it hung on for days, I thought for sure I was going to have to bail on the race altogether because I just couldn't seem to get rid of it. I decided that I would go to Oceanside anyway because I had already paid for the hotel room and I was looking forward to the time off. As Friday rolled around, I felt better and I became excited at the possibility of getting to race.